Apple Watch 2 Tipped For June Reveal

Michael Moore joined TechWeek Europe in January 2014 as a trainee before graduating to Reporter later that year. He covers a wide range of topics, including but not limited to mobile devices, wearable tech, the Internet of Things, and financial technology.

Thinner and lighter smartwatch set to be unveiled at Apple’s WWDC event, reports claim

Apple is gearing up to release the second iteration of its smartwatch within the next few weeks, according to reports.

The company is preparing to unveil the Apple Watch 2 at its WWDC conference in San Francisco in June, just over a year after the first edition was released.

As expected, the new version will feature improved hardware, more strap options, and a slimmer build that is between 20 to 40 percent thinner than the original.

Unveiling

The news comes from a research note written by Brian White of Wall Street investment firm Drexel Hamilton and obtained by MacRumors which states that the Apple Watch 2 will be refreshed in the next two to three months, pointing to a launch alongside iOS 10 at WWDC, which is being held from June 13-17.

“We walked away with the sense that the Apple Watch refresh will not occur in September with the iPhone 7, but is more likely to occur within the next two to three months, and thus we believe an unveiling at WWDC in June makes sense,” wrote White.

Apple typically announces new products in September, but will no doubt be looking to capitalise on the incredible success of the original Apple Watch, which has helped to spur on huge wearable adoption amongst the general public.

And the wearable market is expected to continue to grow in 2016, with estimates from IDC predicting that 45.7 million wearable devices would be sold this year, up 133.4 percent from last year’s figure. By 2019, the research firm predicts 126.1 million units will be sold each year.